First question “does it have the performance pack?”, next “what’s the drive like?”, next “how much is that Bang & Olufsen stereo?” and so on. Many many questions about the Fiesta ST, many good first impressions, a lot also wondering if it’s worth it? Most definitely. In what some are calling the last throws of combustion engines, if ever there was a time to treat yourself, it’s now. If ever you wondered, maybe I should take the ‘fun’ option over the ‘safe’ option. If the small size suits your daily needs, if you have the means and the hot hatch has been a dream for a while now, I say go for it.
Now more than ever is the time, besides, this little 1.5 litre 3 cylinder engine, isn’t really that much of a ‘risk’. It’s economical for a fast hatch running 200ps, with a manufacturers guide of around 47mpg (6 litres per 100 km/h). Having tested the Fiesta on a mix of B & C roads, motorways and commuter traffic, the needle of doom, wasn’t so gloomy after all. As you can see in the image below, mpg was just slightly higher than the manufacturers guide.
There are three driving modes on board, Normal, Sport and Track – where the traction control is set to ‘very limited’ – be wise when choosing this option. There’s also a Performance Pack available, which includes launch control and performance shift lights (a €950 option). It’s much calmer to drive than it’s bigger Focus ST brother which is another classic hot hatch. The thing about the Focus ST is, it wants to be ‘on it’ all the time, even when you’ve had enough and just need to get home. This is where the Fiesta shines as a daily, it can be unruly but it also allows you to relax and just get on with it when needed. As for the exhaust note, in every mode it’s beautiful (asbo’s look away now). It just purrs, it’s gorgeous. If it wasn’t four degrees outside, I would have driven everywhere with the windows down.
The second most beautiful sounding component on board, is the B&O play In-car audio premium sound system. It connects easily via Bluetooth or using Ford’s SYNC 3 technology. This pack included a Nav System with 8’’ touchscreen, DAB Radio and 10 speakers for 360° sound. The drawback to this system is that you loose the spare wheel boot space to the sub woofer gods. For just €440, it’s a reasonably priced option.
The gear change in the manual has a lovely metallic ‘clinc’ that hits every now and then, and is usually followed by a ‘barp’. Textiles are nice to the touch in the most important places, the steering wheel, around the doors and anywhere you’re prodding your finger on the dash. There are a few materials used to save cash on production, none of it annoyingly on anything just out of the corner of your eye. Too much heavy handedness on the flimsier bits and pieces not advised, another driver before me had managed to pop the rear parcel shelf string off it’s furry base (it appeared to be only glued in place). Over it’s nine and a half thousand test kilometers (double it for real world use as journalists tend to be hard on the press fleet), it was holding up very well. I didn’t notice any creaks or rattles in the cabin and most of it was still in place as it should be.
In summation, it’s a beautiful looking car, inside and out. It was on the receiving end of many, many compliments and winks and nods from those in the know. The exterior is a subtle, stealthy affair with 18″ Magnetied machined alloys, rear sports spoiler (sans whale tail) and ST badging (all standard on the ST3 model). If you ever wanted to dip a toe into daily hot hatchery, you need to get yourself a test drive in the Fiesta ST.
One thing to be sure you’re comfortable with is the Recaro sports seats. They’re a snug fit (this from a 5’8 adult). You sit very low, eyes just about peeking over the steering wheel (not my preferred position due to the difficulty in spotting pot holes in time). It’s the defacto seating arrangement of a hot hatch though so you should be prepared to be able to fit in it or quit it. There’s also a knack to exiting gracefully, after a bit of practice, the manoeuvre comes naturally.
Special mention : Driver focused engine, exhaust and dynamics. It feels faster than it’s 6.5 seconds suggests. Fun at all legal road speeds and won’t loose you your license.
Needs work : Cabin space is limited, rear seats for small people and pets only. Also there’s no spare wheel if you option the Bang & Olufsen stereo.
Specs:
| Max Power 200ps | Petrol / Manual |
| 0-100 km/h in 6.5s | Road Tax € 280.00 |
| Price ST3 €27,710 ( €29,100 as specced) | Claimed economy 47mpg |
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFpepgXmgb0&w=560&h=315]